Process of making spring clips



pt. 6, 1927. 4 ,631v

J. A. HOFFMAN PROCESS OF MAKTNG SPRING CLIPS Filed May 4, 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Sebt', 6,1927. 1,641,631

'J. A. HOFFMAN PROCESS OF MAKING SPRING CLIPS Filed May 4, 1923. 3sheets sheet Se t. 1 Q 1 A p 927 J. A. HOFFMAN PROCESS OF MAKING SPRINGCLIPS Filed May 4;, 1923 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 the .wire.

tending wing adapted to form a slide in the block 1. Overthis member thewire is bent to form the looped portions L and O, aswill presentlyappear. A suitable wire guide leads the Wire W across'this rail member2,

substantially as shown in Fig. 1, thereupon" by transverse movement apairofforming dies 10, having the end portions thereof adapted to allowthem to embrace the winged cylindrical rail member 2, as shown, arebrought inwardly into engagement with This movement occurs by actionupon a suitable slide 12 to which these forming members are pivoted asindicated at 11.

i A spring, such for example, as shown at 13 may cause these members 10to normally stand apart, and upon the inward movement cam portionsformed rigid on the anvil block 1 engage the coacting surfaces 14 on theforming members 10 and cause them to for the clip. This action is shownin Fig. 2,

' ment so that the die 22 moves toward its where the cutting takes placejust as the formers engage the wire. Grooves 7 on the forward faces ofthe formers hold the wire in position against the rail 2 andv thefurther movement of these formers wraps the wire around the rail,forming the loop L of r the clip, but leaving the ends thereofprojecting laterally in the same plane along grooves 6 in the anvil 5.

The next step is the inward movement of formers indicated at 22 ascarried upon a suitable lateral slide 20, moving in the 'directionparallel'with and in substantially the same plane as the slide andformers 10 and 12. These are shown as pivoted to the slides and havesuitable springs as indicated,

for example, at 21, to hold them normally outwardly and they are guidedacross an extension 24 of the block or anvil 1,.while projections 25engage cam surfaces 26, with the result that as these are broughtinwardly they also close together, and the inner ends are notched to fitaround the ends of the former 10, thus turning. the ends of the wirevback upon itself forming the wire to the shape shown in Fig. 10. It isnecessary to withdraw the die members 22 a sufiicient distance to freethe now vL-shaped ends of the wire and to clear the path of slidemembers about to be described. This is done by drawing the slide 21rearwardly, allowing the die'22 to be forced outwardly by the springs21, the cam 26 sliding past the abutoriginal starting position. Now theclip is still all in one plane and the next step is to swlng the ends ofthe substantially double U-shaped member upwardly, that is, move theouter ends upwardly to form the laterally extending loops M. This isdone by the upward movement ofthe' slide members 30 extending throughthe block 1, and causing the wire to turn upwardly from the grooves 6 onthe anvil member 5, rigid with the block 1. This up ward movement isindicated in Fig. 5. The clip then has the form shown in Fig. 11.

Now to complete the loop M, still leaving the'ends of the loop asbefore, side die members lO are brought inwardly still acting againstthe forming member5, rigid with the block 1, while holding the wire inthe grooves 6, 7 and 8 of the formers 10 and 5. These dies 40 may comeinwardly from directions at right angles to the directions of movementof the slides and formers just described. Such dies are indicated asbifurcated members having the notched ends adapted to engage the wire asshown in Fig. 7, and carried on suitable slides, one of which isindicated at 42. 7

During the inward movements ofthese die members 40, the members 80 arein their uppermost position and the members 10 have not yet beenreleased, so that the wire is firmly held in all directions except thatof permitting the ends 'which are to become the spring clamping portion0 of the clip, to be swung inwardly as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. I

Now while so held, and without a loss of time, it is one of the purposesof the present invention to bend these end clips 0 clownwardlyintermediately of their length to facilitate sliding the terminal memberthereunder, as previously described, simultaneously with the completionof the inward movement of the slide members 10. To accomplish this, Iform a'bifurcated member above the anvil and cause it to move up wardlyanddownwardly, and as it is brought downwardly, it straddles the rail 2and its rounded lower ends engage the ends of the wire which are nowlying across the clamping and forming members 10 and against the rail 2bending the-wire downwardly into grooves or. notches, shown at 53, inthe members 10, just asfthe members 10 complete their inward movement,thus forming the ends ofthe wire into lateral curves about the rail.This operation is indicated in Fig. 8, the parts clamping the clipbeing. there illustrated in theclosed position before releasing.

These parts are then all withdrawn, the slide 51 moving upwardly, theslide 12 moving backwardly with'its member 10, and the two formingmembers 10 moving outwardly at the opposite sides, and to remove theclip, the rail 2 is slid downwardly through the block 1, permitting itto spring outwardly, whereupon the wire is again fed to the dies and therail 2 returns and the operation is repeated' It has been found thatthese steps may be accomplished in very rapid succession, the entireclip with its curved ends being finished in one group of forming dies ofthis character, and while forming in two, three or even four directions,has been frequently done before, it is believed to be novel to use diesand to accomplishforming steps by moving forming members in fourdirections in one plane and in directions at right angles theretoupwardly and downwardly with relation to that plane to form suchcombinations of curved portions as those of the member 0 of the clipdescribed. I

Having thus described my invention, I

- claim 1. The process of forming a wire clip including the steps ofbending the mid portion of a wire by the inward movement of dies into anopen loop in a horizontal plane, turning the ends at right angles in thesame plane and in the same direction with the loop, bending the portionsbetween the loop and the ends into two oppositely facing loops in avertical plane, bending the ends into two semi-circular bends, eachfacing the other in a horizontal plane, and lying coincident with thefirst named loop and spaced above it, crimping the central portions ofsaid last named'horizontal bends in a direction toward the first namedloop, and

releasing the wire so formed by a simultaneous outward movement of thedies then engaging the wire. I

2. The process of forming a terminal retaining clip, having loops inthree planes, two of which are parallel and at right angles to the planeof the connecting portion, consisting of bending the original loop abouta stationary form and holding the bend thus made, bending the free endsof the wire while so held backward in the direction of the loop in thesame plane, bending the wire in a second plane intermediate the outerbends and the loop, thus bringing the free ends into the third plane,andthereafter simultaneously forming the free ends into circular bendsin that plane, each facing the other and crimping part of the circularbends out of said last named plane.

3. The process of forming a wire clip including the steps of bending themid-portion of a wire into an open loop in a given plane, turning backthe ends of the wire in the same plane and in the same dir ection of theloop, bending the wire in a second plane intermediate the outer bendsand the loop to bring the free ends into a third plane parallel to'theplane of the loop, and thereafter crimping the said free ends.

4. The process of forming a wire clip including the steps of bending themid-portion of a wire into an open loop. in a give-n plane, turning backthe ends of thewire inv the same plane and in the same direction of theloop, bending the wire in a second plane intermediate the outer bendsand the loop to bring the free ends into a third plane parallel to theplane of the loop, and thereafter curving the free ends to approximate aloop lying in the said third plane.

5. The process of forming a wire clip including the steps of bending themid-pop tion of a wire into an open loop in a given plane, turning backthe ends of the wire in the same plane and in the same direction of theloop, bending the wire in a second plane intermediate the outer bendsand'the loop to bring the free ends into a third plane parallel to theplane of the loop, and

thereafter curving the free ends to approximate a loop substantiallycoinciding with and lying parallel to said first named loop, and finallycrimping one of said loops toward the other.

I signature.

JOHN A. HOFFMAN.

